According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is proposing a new plan that aims to increase firearm safety in Illinois. Under his proposal, handgun owners would have to pay a registration fee of $65 per gun in addition to being required to register their weapons with the state and renewing the registrations every five years. The mayor has stated these requirements would give police the information they need to solve crimes involving firearms in addition to reducing illegal firearm transfers, which has become a major problem, especially for the Windy City.
Mayor Emanuel's plan picks up where former Mayor Richard M. Daley left off. Here are some facts about firearm laws in Illinois and efforts to change current regulations:
* The Associated Press reported earlier this week, the Second Amendment Foundation filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal district judge in Illinois ruled against allowing residents to carry concealed weapons.
* Illinois, along with the District of Columbia, has a ban on the concealed carrying of weapons, making it the state with the strictest firearm laws in the nation.
* Firearm Owner's Identification cardholders in Illinois can transport firearms on them or in their vehicle only if the weapon is unloaded and in an enclosed case, according to the Illinois State Police.
* Similarly, out-of-state residents who have conceal and carry permits from other states are subject to all of Illinois' laws and restrictions pertaining to firearms.
* In 2007, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed Senate Bill 940 into law requiring the Illinois State Police to report information on people who are banned from buying or owning guns to the FBI's National Instant Criminal background check system.
* The bill also requires both hospitals and mental health facilities to submit all mental health records to the Illinois State Police, which will forward the information to the NICS to use when processing state gun permits.
* CBS Local reported that in May, Gov. Pat Quinn said he would veto any legislation that would allow individuals to carry concealed weapons in public in the state.
* Despite the governor's stance, supporters of concealed carry rights in Illinois have commented that passing such a bill would help deter crime.
* In June, the governor signed a bill into law that prevents the Illinois State Police from releasing the names of anyone who holds or has applied for a FOID card, noted the Chicago Tribune.
* Gov. Quinn and proponents of the bill stated that releasing the names would be an invasion of privacy and could subject both FOID card-holders and unarmed individuals to certain crimes.
Rachel Bogart provides an in-depth look at current environmental issues and local Chicago news stories. As a college student from the Chicago suburbs pursuing two science degrees, she applies her knowledge and passion to both topics to garner further public awareness.
